Diesel guys. help asap!!!

[TRX_450]

Today I got a call from my best friends dad out of the blue and he said he wants to buy my truck. Wasnt expecting this at all but I've been toying around with the idea of moving to a diesel as I'm about to buy a bass boat. So now I'm scrambling trying to find a truck in my price range thats worth a chit. I found a good looking 04 duramax thats priced very well but my biggest question is mileage. Whats good mileage for a diesel? I know its alot higher than a gas truck, but the one I'm looking at has 170k on it, and if I were to buy it I'd probably sell it around 200k or so but is 170k something i want to stay away from? I'm looking to spend 15-16k if that helps. Thanks.

[eastside 400]

15-16k for a dmax with 170,000 on it seems high, the newer dmax's are good engines, they have injector issues but your might have already been done with that many miles. mileage without trailer should be around 15-20 and with trailer around 10-15 most likely. if the truck is in good shape then i wouldnt worry about it, but like everything, it is used so you never know

[sparks 450]

In california starting this year you have to smog diesels every other year.the rest of the country will soon have to also. if you have aftermarket parts they have to come off to pass the test unless they are c.a.r.b. approved.

[k4f5x0r]

Originally posted by sparks 450
In california starting this year you have to smog diesels every other year.the rest of the country will soon have to also. if you have aftermarket parts they have to come off to pass the test unless they are c.a.r.b. approved.


California always has to ruin it for everyone. :chinese:

[400EX Stud]

Originally posted by sparks 450
In california starting this year you have to smog diesels every other year.the rest of the country will soon have to also. if you have aftermarket parts they have to come off to pass the test unless they are c.a.r.b. approved.


Not necessarily so. CA, and AZ have to smog test gas vehicles. I know here in MO nothing to worry about. Probably something just for CA and the rest of the Hippy states

[Giz400ex]

Originally posted by TRX_450
Today I got a call from my best friends dad out of the blue and he said he wants to buy my truck. Wasnt expecting this at all but I've been toying around with the idea of moving to a diesel as I'm about to buy a bass boat. So now I'm scrambling trying to find a truck in my price range thats worth a chit. I found a good looking 04 duramax thats priced very well but my biggest question is mileage. Whats good mileage for a diesel? I know its alot higher than a gas truck, but the one I'm looking at has 170k on it, and if I were to buy it I'd probably sell it around 200k or so but is 170k something i want to stay away from? I'm looking to spend 15-16k if that helps. Thanks. That is high and too many miles, I believe your getting close to there overhaul stage also??

[bens250ex]

Originally posted by Giz400ex
That is high and too many miles, I believe your getting close to there overhaul stage also??

too high on price for miles. Overhaul its a iffy question, my powerstoke has 214k and is tuned and yadadada and it still runs fine. For the price you listed you could get a nice cummins just get one with a manual. but the price is deff to high on that dmax. ill sell you my truck lol i been wanting somethin different.

[CJM]

Not worth that price, 12-13k at most for that condition and mileage.

Powerstroke is better anyways :) Course Cummins is even better, but the rest of the truck is another story lol.

[TRX_450]

the one i was looking at was 13,900. im just looking to spend no more then 15-16k for a truck is all.

[CJM]

Still 170k is alot, I am in the market and trying to find a powerstroke super duty in good shape with 120k or less (pretty hard unless you want to pay top dollar).

Main thing to remember is despite the engine lasting forever everything else will be quite worn after 100k. Things like the transmission (biggest expense on a diesel besides the engine!) bushings, bearings, tie rods, ball joints, etc are all well worn at that point. Consider the fact you may have to replace alot of those parts.

[gcart2]

Ahhhh. you could buy my f-150. check my sig. its got the 4.6 though. may be a little underpowered though.

[JForestZ34]

170k too many miles... Hell that motor is just broken in... If taken cared of properly you'll hit 500k without a problem.. Other things on the truck might need replacing but the motor will last a while if taken care of...


James

[CJM]

Originally posted by JForestZ34
170k too many miles... Hell that motor is just broken in... If taken cared of properly you'll hit 500k without a problem.. Other things on the truck might need replacing but the motor will last a while if taken care of...


James

I do agree with you the Engine will last, enjoy replacing things like body mounts, trans mount, hubs, engine mounts, etc, etc.

Any rubber part after about 120-150k is pretty worn. My buddies diesel ford flatbed is a 97 and has 600k + on the actual body (well whats not replaced lol) and believe me he replaced a TON of items over the life of the ownership. Caveat is he has a shop and guys to do work, thus only costs parts.

I just spent the last year chasing down vibration issues on my Toyota T100 truck. Turns out every single freaking rubber bushing of any kind was bad after 160k miles. And when I say bad I mean flaking apart if I poked it with my finger.

[TRX_450]

well the new truck i found is actually more of what i wanted. white, 4 door, allison tranny, and it only has 122k on it. the guy wants 15 and id say thats pretty fair.

[400exrider69]

i bought my truck 88 f-250 4x4 5sp it's on second motor and has around 850k bone stock it's all about how you take care of stuff. you can expect 17-20 out of my tubro diesel's some will be worse alot of diesel's were low geared for hauling which takes a dump on mpg. I personally wouldn't buy from anyone under mid 20's kids today think every diesel is a super hot rod. would watch early doge auto's if there stock just watch buying used trucks don't go out for the DEAL if he's selling it so cheap it must not be to great is what i all ways go buy i've know many people who have found out same thing

we bought a 2002 f-350 crew 6sp 7.3 psd brand new it was a very good truck all stock would own one again you'll have hard time finding low miles or at least i have

[bens250ex]

It's hard to find a low mile diesel

[Ruby Soho]

powerstroke!:D

you can find powerstrokes everywhere with lower miles. if you want reliability go 7.3. miles arent really an issue, mine has 177k and shes doing great

cummins are nice too, my buddy just picked up a 24v for 10k, beautiful truck. shouldnt need an explanation haha

not to familiar with the duramax, i hear people like them but im not a chevy guy so i couldn't fill you in

[BlaineKaiser450]

I'm not very familiar with the Dmax aswell, But I have a few friends with 7.3 Powerstrokes and I own a 5.9 Cummins. I would go with one of those two, although the 6.7 Cummins is great also.

[bens250ex]

Originally posted by BlaineKaiser450
I'm not very familiar with the Dmax aswell, But I have a few friends with 7.3 Powerstrokes and I own a 5.9 Cummins. I would go with one of those two, although the 6.7 Cummins is great also.

the 6.7 is going to be exspensive and they have all the emissions crap on them. and you deff don't want any of that stuff.

[bens250ex]

all new diesels you are looking at are turbo, ask what has all been done to it, has it had any warranty work, transmission work,bills from work if possible, is it tuned has it ever been tuned, check the oil make sure it looks good, ask what kind of oil has it used, check coolant smell it aswell, check the airfilter if it is dirty then run.

[TRX_450]

Ok, so my truck officially sold, and now im REALLY scrambling to find something. Like i said i found an 05 dmax with 122k on it im going to call about later tonight. what should i ask? im new to the diesel world and i want to make sure i know everything. The guy is asking 15k, does that sound about right? i BB'd it at 18,400-20,540 and 15k seems low like maybe theres something wrong with it? One last thing. Do all diesels have turbos?



Oh and heres a pic of my truck i just sold..

[mineralgrey01gt]

modern diesels do have turbos. Older ones dont. Nice truck you sold. That sounds about right for an 05 duramax diesel, go drive it and give it an extremely good looking over, also if I were you id bring someone along who knows diesels really well.

[trick450r]

cummins are nice too, my buddy just picked up a 24v for 10k, beautiful truck. shouldnt need an explanation haha

his truck is a common rail buddy, 03' they switched.

[TRX_450]

i wish i knew somebody who knew alot about diesels to take, but i dont. i posted this over on fullsizechevy, but maybe you guys can answer it for me too.

What kind of mileage should i be looking to get?
Are all newer diesel trucks turbo'd?
What are the ins and outs of a diesel?
If i go look at the truck what should i be looking for while im there?
Is the dmax a good choice in a diesel?
What do services run for a diesel, and how often do they need serviced?

[mineralgrey01gt]

Originally posted by TRX_450
i wish i knew somebody who knew alot about diesels to take, but i dont. i posted this over on fullsizechevy, but maybe you guys can answer it for me too.

What kind of mileage should i be looking to get?
Are all newer diesel trucks turbo'd?
What are the ins and outs of a diesel?
If i go look at the truck what should i be looking for while im there?
Is the dmax a good choice in a diesel?
What do services run for a diesel, and how often do they need serviced?

heres my answers to the questions:

1: Id say 14-16 city, 18+ highway (if you keep your foot out of it

2: yes

3: Positive is you can tow a **** ton of weight and high mileage on the engine is nothing on a diesel. There is a little more maintenance on a diesel I believe

4. Check the valve covers for oil leaks, listen for the turbo when taking off, if its stuttering getting into power, 90% of the time the turbo is going bad.

5. Its a good choice but wouldnt be my #1 choice. From what I hear you really cant go wrong with any of them (besides the 04-08 F250 I think thats the year models, with the 6.0 diesels in them)

I know changing oil gets high but you dont do it as often and always check your oil level since diesels do burn oil

[extremeblastr]

Originally posted by mineralgrey01gt
heres my answers to the questions:

1: Id say 14-16 city, 18+ highway (if you keep your foot out of it

2: yes

3: Positive is you can tow a **** ton of weight and high mileage on the engine is nothing on a diesel. There is a little more maintenance on a diesel I believe

4. Check the valve covers for oil leaks, listen for the turbo when taking off, if its stuttering getting into power, 90% of the time the turbo is going bad.

5. Its a good choice but wouldnt be my #1 choice. From what I hear you really cant go wrong with any of them (besides the 04-08 F250 I think thats the year models, with the 6.0 diesels in them)

I know changing oil gets high but you dont do it as often and always check your oil level since diesels do burn oil

i would just stay away from 03 and 04 ford 6.0s (03s also came with with the 7.3) 05 and up seem to be ok when maintained properly and not even all 03 and 04s have issues. another thing to look into with the fords is that they switched to powedered medal connecting rods during production and if you intend to mod past 400hp i would look for one of the early production models with the forged steel. as said above check valve covers for leaks and check for turbo issues it will not be a steady whine if its going bad you'll hear it flutter a little as it spools. the 04 and 05 duramax's would definitely be near the top of my list of a diesel to buy especially if keeping it stock but i would say the best option out there for a reliability is the 99-2000's with the 7.3 and if you don't mind the looks of an older truck the 94 1/2-97 fords with the 7.3 are great buys to almost bullet proof with the addition of an aftermarket oil pump.

[bens250ex]

Originally posted by TRX_450
i wish i knew somebody who knew alot about diesels to take, but i dont. i posted this over on fullsizechevy, but maybe you guys can answer it for me too.

What kind of mileage should i be looking to get?
Are all newer diesel trucks turbo'd?
What are the ins and outs of a diesel?
If i go look at the truck what should i be looking for while im there?
Is the dmax a good choice in a diesel?
What do services run for a diesel, and how often do they need serviced?

i know my fair share about them its the only kind of truck i have owned since i started driving. all i have to say is get ready to shell out the cash when you got to fix something. since its a diesel everything is going to cost a hell of alot more, this includes oil changes, coolant changes, and fuel. so just warning you get ready. honestly i would go with a older truck like a 99-02 f-250 or a 99-05 cummins. it will be easier to work on in the engine compartment and not so much electronics as the newer ones. i know the dmax have fair share of electronics and the trans will be a problem if you add tunes. but if your stayin stock it wont matter but all the trans in all 3 brands will go down eventually.

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by BlaineKaiser450
I'm not very familiar with the Dmax aswell, But I have a few friends with 7.3 Powerstrokes and I own a 5.9 Cummins. I would go with one of those two, although the 6.7 Cummins is great also.


i actually prefer the 5.9 to the 6.7. better gas mileage and if they are tuned properly i've seen so many of them outrun the 6.7. my friend has a 5.9 24 valve and he is getting 35mpg with it.

[Nick110]

Originally posted by krt400ex
i actually prefer the 5.9 to the 6.7. better gas mileage and if they are tuned properly i've seen so many of them outrun the 6.7. my friend has a 5.9 24 valve and he is getting 35mpg with it.


35 mpg.......I call bs

[CJM]

35mpg seems high, I have seen tuned older cummins engines get 25mpg tho.

[justinwills83]

thats a good price for the 05 dmaxx. I have a 01 f350 7.3 and i think the chevy is the best hands down. better power and way smoother ride the the ford or dodge. you cant really judge a truck by the miles. some can look and drive like new with 300+ others are shot at 80,000 all in how there used. a lot of people dont realize how many miles you cant get out of a newer truck. i looked at alot of chevys before i got my ford , around here you cant touch a nice chevy for under 17000, only got the ford cus i pretty much stole it at the price i paid.

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by Nick110
35 mpg.......I call bs


its no bs. its not completely stock though. he has a chip that is desined to give better mileage or someting. and he barely ever takes it over 1500rpm

[Ruby Soho]

i hate IFS on chevys:D

[bens250ex]

Originally posted by Ruby Soho
i hate IFS on chevys:D

thank you!!!!! its a hd truck with IFS thats a big what the dump?? yea it rides good thats about it

[bens250ex]

if it had a straight axle i would be more interested in owning one

[CJM]

Yea I never quite got that, how can it be a true HD truck if it has IFS?

The HD chevy trucks they use for the phone and cable company around here are all HD I-Beam setups that are closer to a 1 and 1/4 ton, funny they use the same body on F350s tho..

[bens250ex]

did you find a truck?

[gcart2]

If i were you i would spend a couple hundred bucks and get a rental car, if you dont have a vehicle, and spend the extra time looking.

id say the duramax with the allison is just about the most bullet proof setup out there. this being said from a ford guy. if you find a ford make sure its the older 7.3 or a 09+ 6.0. i think i would stick with those two personally. cummins are great too but between tranny problems and being so damned ugly i usually rule them out.

idk if you plan on doing aftermarket parts. if so i would do i mild programmer, exhaust and air filter first. it will really open up the truck. if you have any questions feel free to shoot me a pm.

[witech]

Ive been doing commercial diesel fleet service work for the last 20 years and work exclusivly with light and medium duty Ford/IH and Gm diesels. The gm 6.2 ,6.5 . But mostly ford 7.3 mechanical.7.3 powerstroke,6.0powerstroke, and now the maxxforce lines.
I my personal opinion if you are just going to be using a pickup to drive back and forth to work and maybe once a month load it up and haul wood,a trailer,go on vacation with a load of quads then a standard gas engine is the way to go .
If you have unlimited amounts of cash to throw towards toys, making the "Im bigger ,badder than you " statement or are actually using a truck for work where lots of miles get racked up making money hauling heavy loads on a regular basis then I would say a diesel would pay for itself .

I started out with the old 6.2 and 7.3 which were good for about 100K before they needed the usual pump and injectors to keep them going .Cost was around $500 for the whole smash.

Then comes the electronic diesels . Although the base engine (block and heads)were capable of an average lifespan of 150k to 250k everything bolted to them turned into the PITA money pits.
I spend the vast majority of my time diagnosing electrical and drivability problems. Injectors in the old powerstrokes from the 90"s were good for 150,000 miles before they would show up on power balance tests. the ones from 99 to 2003 had a much shorter lifespan. The injectors on the newer 6.0/vt365 are lucky to get 50,000 miles before they start misfiring. Injectors are not cheap nor is replacing them out of warranty.
These new diesel nickel and dime you with ICP,Cam and crank sensors, Injector oring failures, IPR regulators,lots and lots of turbo crossover pipe failures, valve cover harness coming loose,plugged and rusted out back pressure sensors/tubes, broken manifold bolts, dipstick tube fittings blowing out, the list goes on and on. Then there is the oil leak horror show. Almost none of the repairs would ever be considered cheap.

If you mind is set on getting a diesel for the love of god man make sure the seller will allow you to take it down to a true diesel shop and run an air managmnet test,check trouble codes, and do the injector power balance tests. If it smokes grey or blue upon full power then expect to be putting injetors in it. Injectors also show up big time on a cold start up. So let the truck sit for half a day and dont let the seller " warm it up "before you test drive it. If it misses ,runs rough upon start up and wont instantly rev up when cold then the injector are on thier way out.

Im not saying diesels are bad engines , but the ones you get in a pickup are not the million mile overhaul ,change oil every 25,000k, pour fuel in them and run them diesels you find in the big rigs of yesteryear Even those have all the issues of their little brothers.

There are lots of truck web sites and youtube videos to do reseach on your particular year and models of trucks so do some research before jumping in. And if at all posiible get a warranty .

[TRX_450]

i still havent found a truck and the guy gave me until tuesday to find one so we can finish the deal. i've kinda given up on a diesel as they seem to be alot more pricey to run than i thought. ill still keep you guys posted on what i find though.

[gt400ex]

I am a diesel tech also and witech is giving very good advice. If your going to be hauling equipment then yea a diesel will be a good choice but for a boat on the weekends a good 3/4 ton will get the job done and save you money.

[Nick110]

Originally posted by gcart2
If i were you i would spend a couple hundred bucks and get a rental car, if you dont have a vehicle, and spend the extra time looking.

id say the duramax with the allison is just about the most bullet proof setup out there. this being said from a ford guy. if you find a ford make sure its the older 7.3 or a 09+ 6.0. i think i would stick with those two personally. cummins are great too but between tranny problems and being so damned ugly i usually rule them out.

idk if you plan on doing aftermarket parts. if so i would do i mild programmer, exhaust and air filter first. it will really open up the truck. if you have any questions feel free to shoot me a pm.


Duramax with allison is good stock but once u mod it at all the tranny cant hold, same with the auto dodges.


Still call bs on the 35mpg dude

[Ruby Soho]

duramaxes are pricey yes, but you can find PLENTY of fords in a lower price range. the 7.3 is legendary for reliability next to the 5.9 cummins. the 6.0 had its problems, but later years aren't bad. id stay away though.

i picked up my 7.3 for 5k.. 172k on it when i bought it. i absolutely love it. my buddy has a 95 with 29X,XXXk on his, with custom tunes and what not and its still running strong.. it has also been to hell and back many times:blah:

[gcart2]

Originally posted by Nick110
Duramax with allison is good stock but once u mod it at all the tranny cant hold, same with the auto dodges.


Still call bs on the 35mpg dude

Yep thats why i stated mild programmer. i put an edge on my truck just to change shiftpoints, remove speed limiter, and gain a few extra ponies.

you can pull some pretty good 20's out of a duramax. ive seen 25 all day long. i dont doubt you could pull as high as 35. hell i can pull 25 mpg in my 7000lb truck with a v8 gasser.

[400EX Stud]

Originally posted by Nick110
Duramax with allison is good stock but once u mod it at all the tranny cant hold, same with the auto dodges.


Still call bs on the 35mpg dude

I don't know where you are getting your info at about the duramax trannies!!!! I know quite a few guys that are doing truck pulls with an extremely moded duramax and still use the stock(unmoded) Allison. That is one of the most bulletproof trans that you can get. That's the big thing for the Duramaxs'.

[gcart2]

Originally posted by 400EX Stud
I don't know where you are getting your info at about the duramax trannies!!!! I know quite a few guys that are doing truck pulls with an extremely moded duramax and still use the stock(unmoded) Allison. That is one of the most bulletproof trans that you can get. That's the big thing for the Duramaxs'.

It is, but you dont do the big three (exhaust, intake, programmer) without beefing up a tranny. not if you plan on hotrodding around/using the hp and plan on keeping it going down the road.

[witech]

We have had 37 allisons in medium duty fleet service since 2001. They get thier first synthetic oil change at the recomended 100,000 miles and most are getting close to 200,000 miles now. They are all pulling 18,000gvw all the time behind a vt365. Guess how many have had a failure? ...............Not one. We went from losing 3 to 5 trannies a year to nothing. Our ford vans with the E450 super duty chassis at 10,000 pound gvw have lost half of their ford transmisions in the last ten years behind basically the same engine. Many of the ford tranny issues also revolve around the stupic inverted electrical connector for the valve body getting water contamination and corroding the pins.

[Dave400ex]

Originally posted by 400EX Stud
I don't know where you are getting your info at about the duramax trannies!!!! I know quite a few guys that are doing truck pulls with an extremely moded duramax and still use the stock(unmoded) Allison. That is one of the most bulletproof trans that you can get. That's the big thing for the Duramaxs'.

I don't know what you consider extremely modded but the stock Allison most tranny builders will say only 90-120hp over stock depending if it is a 5spd or 6spd and rather or not in the 06+ it has a Transgo shift kit. They can't hold the "big" power.

[Gray33]

Got a 03 ford f350 lifted and i love it. I say go with the powerstroke or a cummins.

[bens250ex]

Originally posted by 400EX Stud
I don't know where you are getting your info at about the duramax trannies!!!! I know quite a few guys that are doing truck pulls with an extremely moded duramax and still use the stock(unmoded) Allison. That is one of the most bulletproof trans that you can get. That's the big thing for the Duramaxs'.

Allisons are not all the greatest. Add a good tuner and your going to be throwin it into limp mode and then tearin stuff up. so far i think the best trans is the one in the 6.4 powerstroke. they supposedly can handle a good bit of power before giving problems.

[extremeblastr]

Originally posted by bens250ex
Allisons are not all the greatest. Add a good tuner and your going to be throwin it into limp mode and then tearin stuff up. so far i think the best trans is the one in the 6.4 powerstroke. they supposedly can handle a good bit of power before giving problems.


for a short period of time, they started tearing into the trannies that were holding 6-700hp on those and found that the clutch packs were well on their way out and the torque converters weren't looking so hot either althoughhhhh i am impressed with the kind of abuse they held up to with out failing at ALL no matter how beat they were upon inspection.

[Nick110]

Originally posted by 400EX Stud
I don't know where you are getting your info at about the duramax trannies!!!! I know quite a few guys that are doing truck pulls with an extremely moded duramax and still use the stock(unmoded) Allison. That is one of the most bulletproof trans that you can get. That's the big thing for the Duramaxs'.

From the forums, and bs on extremely modded pulling trucks using a stock tranny too.

[bens250ex]

i wonder how the trans behind the new 6.7 will do? i think it is sim to the 6.4? not sure i haven't been on the diesel forums in awhile. i know this is off topic but doesn anyone want a black stack kit if you do pm me.

back on the topic subject it prob is wise to stay clear of diesels unless you can do your own work on them, and want to pay to play.

[extremeblastr]

Originally posted by bens250ex
i wonder how the trans behind the new 6.7 will do? i think it is sim to the 6.4? not sure i haven't been on the diesel forums in awhile. i know this is off topic but doesn anyone want a black stack kit if you do pm me.

back on the topic subject it prob is wise to stay clear of diesels unless you can do your own work on them, and want to pay to play.

i think and don't quote me on this but it is the same as the 6.4, if not i'm hoping they stuck with the same idea just beefed up even a little bit more and if they did you better believe i'll be picking one up

[bens250ex]

Originally posted by extremeblastr
i think and don't quote me on this but it is the same as the 6.4, if not i'm hoping they stuck with the same idea just beefed up even a little bit more and if they did you better believe i'll be picking one up

i can't recall if i heard it was the same but just beefed up some or if it was exactly the same. I can't wait to see how the 6.7 does. a local dealer has one right now but a buddy is dealin with them now on his truck and it hasn't been pretty so i don't think they would let us even get close to it lol